WFD,
I do not believe I am missing the point, nor diverting the argument.
Just what is a felon? Is it what the government says it is? If so, then there are thousands of people who are felons who have produced not one physical victim. The actions that they were found guilty of were not done against a physical entity, but against the government's list of pre-approved behaviors.
And then even those that have been found guilty of a felony against another individual that have been released from prison have paid their debt to society, and I believe, should have their rights restored. If this is not the case, they should NOT be out on the street until that debt IS paid.
You are calling for a background check for gun purchases. Well, why single out guns? Why not have background checks for vehicles, knives, power tools, ladders, etc.? Wouldn't this help reduce needless, "Vehicle deaths", "Knife deaths" and "Hardware deaths"? What about purchasers of swimming pools? Surely a background check would reduce the number of "pool deaths". Do you drink? Maybe you should be denied the purchase of a car.
Let's get back to the basics one more time. I AM RESPONSIBLE FOR MY ACTIONS, and paying the price of exercising them through the consequences (good or bad) that they bring about.
What an individual does with a gun after purchasing it from me is not my responsibility unless I know beforehand the intent of the purchaser. A background check only checks history, not the future, and denying an individual based solely upon the past is the presumption of guilt for a future that has not occurred. This is in direct opposition to the "innocent until proven guilty" principle that is the very foundation of how our judicial system is supposed to operate. If I DID know the intended use of the gun I most assuredly would NOT sell a gun to that individual, and if I did, then I would be partially responsible for the malicious results. However, science has yet to invent the "intent-o-meter" so I can accurately screen an individual who wants to buy a gun from me.
Now, assuming that the buyer made no indications of his malicious intent and I sold the gun to him, and it was used to commit murder or theft, then that individual is solely responsible for his actions and the full weight of the law should be brought upon him, and he should suffer the consequences of his actions. Unfortunately, this is not the case most of the time. The judicial system is compromised, and if the guilty are not let off with a warning or a symbolic slap on the wrist, they are paroled much sooner than the completion of their sentence.
But, let's mention another item that the law cannot effectively take into consideration. People DO change, and a denial by background check condemns them for life to either live without those rights, or resort back to breaking the law in order to exercise those rights. So we end up creating more criminals, by definition of the law. And then we hear more crying about how we need yet ANOTHER law to stop this behavior. So we create more criminals... And the cycle continues, viciously.
Who determines who goes on the list of those to be denied the right of self-defense? Who says, "You are too mentally unstable to own a weapon." Who do we trust to do such a thing? And what does age have to do with the issue? I know some children who are more responsible that some adults I know. The teaching of responsibility, and the extension of privileges is the job of the parents, not the government or any of its branches.
And finally, I'll tell you what the responsible thing to do is:
Let's get the parents back into the home teaching true and time tested principles, and be closely involved in their children's lives, and activities.
Let's reduce the tax burdens placed upon them by our government so that they CAN afford to do that. (Do you realize that we pay nearly 54% of all our income through some sort of tax?)
If we do this we won't need these ineffective laws, and I believe with all my heart that we will see this country return to its greatness within the next 2-3 generations.
The MMM is concerning itself with the symptoms of a deeply rooted sickness, and the solutions that it proposes are mere bandages upon a malignant growth, And while they create the appearance of a cure, they only mask the real sickness.
Sincerely,
John
